Tag: F1

F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo busted out his southern accent for U.S. Grand Prix weekend in Austin

Daniel Ricciardo went all out for the Formula 1 race in Texas.

Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo loves Austin, he loves the Longhorns and he loves Circuit of the Americas, the track where the biggest racing series in the world will compete this weekend in the United States Grand Prix.

He’s happy to be back for the first time in two years, and he’s going all-out for this Texas weekend.

All-out for the 32-year-old McLaren driver from Australia includes doing some interviews with a southern accent. Or, at least attempting to imitate one because Ricciardo’s impression of a southern accent is coming out a little more like a cross between a NASCAR TV broadcaster, like Darrell Waltrip, or Talladega Night‘s Ricky Bobby and Foghorn Leghorn.

And it’s hilarious. He’s even (almost) got Waltrip’s signature catchphrase “boogity, boogity, boogity” down.

Ricciardo ditched his attempted Texas/southern/Foghorn Leghorn accent midway through answering this question about why he loves being at COTA — though he was so distracted by his impression, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s apparent laughter off camera or both that he briefly forgot the question.

But that wasn’t the only time he did this accent impression. He also did an entire interview in a southern accent, as he spoke about his excitement about getting to drive Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the track this weekend.

In addition to being a NASCAR legend, the late Earnhardt Sr. is a hero of Ricciardo’s. And Ricciardo will drive the Monte Carlo after winning a bet with the head of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, who has the car in his personal collection, per Jalopnik.

And of course, going all-in for the U.S. Grand Prix meant dressing the part, including showing up to the track in a cowboy hat and a bolo tie.

Clearly, regardless of how Ricciardo performs this weekend, he’s having the most fun at COTA.

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Valtteri Bottas got forced out of the Monaco Grand Prix by a stuck wheel nut and people had so many jokes

This was both terribly sad and absolutely hilarious.

You’ve been there before: In a rush, trying to get somewhere important, and, sure enough, you have to switch out the tire on your car. You scurry back to the trunk, get the jack, hoist that flat off the ground and go straight for the first lug nut and … nothing. Doesn’t budge.

Where you go next depends on your own personal MacGyver quotient and/or whether you have AAA and think they can get there soon enough.

It’s usually inconvenient, but whatever.

Now imagine you’re the pit crew for a Formula 1 car in one of the world’s most prestigious races, the Monaco Grand Prix. If this happens to you … well, it’s highly, highly embarrassing and costly.

And it did! To poor Valtteri Bottas.

The tire never came off and Bottas was forced to retire. That’s just absolutely devastating.

Bottas, who was in second at the time, said after the race that he felt he would have been in position to win the race had the snafu not happened; Max Verstappen ended up in first.

Here’s how the Mercedes team explained what happened:

Bad luck and controversy have seemed to follow Bottas recently, so this was wrenching to see.

But it’s also the sort of thing the internet mocks ceaselessly. People on Twitter had so much fun with it.

Lewis Hamilton shares encouraging COVID-19 recovery update after ‘one of the hardest weeks’

The seven-time F1 champion was experiencing mild symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.

After testing positive for COVID-19 last week, Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton says he’s feeling better — but that’s after he experienced what he described as “one of the hardest weeks that I’ve had for some time.”

Despite testing negative multiple times before the Bahrain Grand Prix — a race Hamliton won during the final weekend in November — the 35-year-old driver woke up on November 30 with mild symptoms and subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus, his Mercedes team said in a statement. Hamilton said he immediately began isolating for 10 days, and, as a result, he missed Sunday’s Sakhir Grand Prix.

“I’m really lucky that I feel OK with only mild symptoms and will do my best to stay fit and healthy,” Hamilton wrote in a social media post December 1.

Since then, the seven-time F1 champion — who already locked up his record-tying seventh title last month — hadn’t posted anything to his normally active Instagram and Twitter pages until Tuesday, when he provided a positive update about his recovery. This time, he was on video, and he said he hopes to be able to compete in F1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Hamilton said:

“I know I’ve not been in touch this past week, but it’s definitely been one of the hardest weeks that I’ve had for some time. And just been focusing on recovering and trying to get back in shape, so I can get back in the car and race the final race in Abu Dhabi.

“I woke up today feeling great and got my first workout in, so I just wanted to send you guys a message of positivity, let you know that I’m OK. And thank every single one of you for sending the amazing messages and videos. And I really, really appreciate it.

“I hope wherever you are, you’re staying positive and fighting through whatever it is that you’re facing. And I hope that I get back in the car soon. And yeah, I’m sending you guys love.”

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F1 driver Romain Grosjean describes ‘the moment I realized I was going to live’ after fiery crash

“I met with death and that is the worst feeling I ever had,” the Formula 1 driver said.

All things considered, Haas driver Romain Grosjean appears to be in good spirits. The Formula 1 racer miraculously survived a fiery crash at the beginning of Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, and he’s been posting frequent and positive updates on social media about his recovery.

On the first lap of Sunday’s race, Grosjean made contact with Daniil Kyvat before slamming into the track barrier, and his car was torn in half as it exploded into flames. Truly a horrifying sight. But the French driver was able to escape the cockpit with minor injuries, including burns on the backs of his hands, and Wednesday, he was released from the hospital his team said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Grosjean said he “saw death coming” as the flames surrounded his car, F1 reported, adding:

“For my children, I told myself that I had to get out. I put my hands in the fire, so I clearly felt it burning on the chassis. I got out, then I felt someone pulling on the suit, so I knew I was out.”

Among Grosjean’s updates on Instagram about his injuries and recovery, he posted a video of his car engulfed in flames and his escape, describing it as “the moment I realized I was going to live.”

He also praised F1 doctor Ian Roberts, calling him a “hero” after he helped pull the driver from the flames.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CISWc0Aity0/

In Grosjean’s caption for the video, he wrote:

This video is incredible.

Look at the professionalism of the fireman, trying to keep the fire away from me in the car.

Look at the action on Ian Roberts and his involvement. I told him he was a hero, he went into the fire as much as he could to save me.

Finally, this is also the moment I realized I was going to live. Extracting my body from the chassis. Yes it burned myself and yes it was painful but that’s nothing compare to the relief I felt as soon as I could get up. I felt Ian’s hands pulling me over the barrier and knew I was safe. I remember every second of it and life will never be the same again, but I’m sure for the best.
I met with death and that is the worst feeling I ever had. But I’m alive and will enjoy every second of life and every small win in a much better way from now on.

Thank you

Romain

Here’s a look at some of Grosjean’s other updates on Instagram since Sunday’s terrifying crash:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIL-IOZJ7Xm/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIOAVH5i0XW/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIP7qWkpb61/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVgzHlpQLa/

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Lewis Hamilton gave an emotional speech, inside the car, after winning his 7th F1 title

“That’s for all the kids out there,” he said, “who dream the impossible.”

Lewis Hamilton captured his seventh F1 title on Sunday, after he won the Austrian Grand Prix in a classic display of racing.

The Mercedes driver is on an unprecedented run of dominance in the sport, and while you might think that winning these is becoming old hat to Hamilton, it still clearly means a lot.

On his cool down lap, Hamilton let the emotion pour out of him. You could hear him getting choked up, and then he gave a speech to the racing world, who was hanging on his every word.

“That’s for all the kids out there,” he said, “who dream the impossible.”

After the race, Hamilton also posted a note to social media, in which he talked about his real goal with the win, and his career writ large: a “desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive.”

The post came accompanied with a picture of his hand raised in a fist, while wearing a mask.

You can read the entire note below:

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Charles Leclerc thankfully walks away from terrifying crash at Italian GP

Ferrari has a terrible day at Italian GP, with two DNFs following Charles Leclerc’s scary wreck.

Charles Leclerc thankfully was able to walk away from a truly scary crash at the Italian GP on Sunday.

The race was briefly suspended after the Ferrari team member lost control of his car at the Autodromo Nazionale in Monza, Italy. Leclerc, who won this race last year after starting in the pole position, started P13 in the race.

The 22-year-old driver had fought his way all the way up to fourth following a restart when he slammed into the wall.

It marked a disastrous day for Ferrari at their home track. Sebastian Vettel, who qualified in 17th (!) position, was forced to retire after sustaining brake failure.

Watch the crash below:

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Watch Lewis Hamilton clock the fastest lap in Formula 1 history

Lewis Hamilton keeps breaking F1 records.

Lewis Hamilton is a Formula 1 superstar who keeps breaking records. And his latest one is just outrageous.

During qualifying Saturday for the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, the Mercedes driver won the pole by just 0.069 seconds at the 3.54-mile Autodromo Nazionale Monza. It marks his sixth pole win in the last seven races and extends his record of poles at the track to seven. But as impressive as those stats are, neither are the big stunner from qualifying.

Hamilton also set the record for the fastest lap ever recorded in F1 history at a whopping average of 164.267 miles per hour (or 264.362 kilometers per hour) with a lap time of one minute, 18.887 seconds.

He broke Kimi Raikkonen’s one-lap record of 163.785 miles per hour — which was set in 2018 also at Monza, also known as the Temple of Speed — and Raikkonen’s track record by .232 seconds.

Behind Hamilton — who also sits at the top of the driver standings with five wins in eight races — Valtteri Bottas qualified second for an all-Mercedes front row for the Italian Grand Prix, while McLaren’s Carlos Sainz will start third.

More via F1:

“It was not too bad!” said Hamilton after the session. “I’m generally really happy with the actual laps I did. Valtteri was very, very close, pushing. I made some big changes going in to qualifying, so I was a little bit nervous going in that it was the right thing to do but it worked just fine.

“The speeds we’re going through the Lesmos is pretty awesome,” he added. “You are moving around when you get to the low speed sections, so Turns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, it’s definitely a little bit tricky there. But the rest of it, you’re just trying to gauge how much you try and attack, keep the minimum speed up and make sure you get the exits, because you’ve got these long straights, so it’s trying to find the balance which is not so easy.”

The Italian Grand Prix is Sunday at 9:05 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

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Lewis Hamilton dominated the Spanish GP and broke F1’s record for most podium finishes

Lewis Hamilton could become F1’s winningest driver by the end of the season.

Lewis Hamilton is undeniably one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time, and every victory or strong finish pushes him closer to being in a category of his own. And Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was no exception.

The six-time F1 world champion absolutely dominated, leading every single lap after starting from the pole position to win his fourth race of the season and his fifth Spanish Grand Prix overall. And with the checkered flag, Hamilton now has a record-breaking 156 career podiums finishes, surpassing Michael Schumacher’s 155 for the most in F1 history.

To put that in perspective among Hamilton’s peers, Sebastian Vettel, who finished seventh Sunday, is third with 120 podium finishes.

Afterward, Hamilton said, via the BBC:

“I was in a daze out there,” he says. “It felt really good. It was a fantastic effort from the team.

“It was a surprise because we had that problem with the tyres last weekend, but we seem to have understood it.

“I didn’t even know it was the last lap I was so zoned in. I thought for a little bit about going for a one-stop strategy.”

Now with 88 career wins, Hamilton is just three away from tying and four away from breaking Schumacher’s all-time record of 91. That means the 35-year-old Mercedes driver could become the winningest F1 racer by the end of September — though that would require him to win the next four races in a challenging but not impossible idea considering he’s won four of the last five.

And should Hamliton — who extended his lead in the F1 standings to 37 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on Sunday — win his seventh career F1 world championship, he’ll tie Schumacher at the top of that list as well.

Formula 1 has next weekend off before picking back up at the end of the month with the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on August 30.

Here’s are some fantastic photos of Hamilton’s post-race celebration from Sunday:

ALBERT GEA / POOL / AFP
Albert Gea/Pool via Getty Images

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Fórmula 1 cancela todos los GP en América

La Fórmula 1 hizo oficial la cancelación de las grandes premios del continente americano, por lo que ni en Estados Unidos, Canadá, México y Brasil habrá carera de la máxima categoría del automovilismo con regreso pactado al 2021. Para suplir las …

La Fórmula 1 hizo oficial la cancelación de las grandes premios del continente americano, por lo que ni en Estados Unidos, Canadá, México y Brasil habrá carera de la máxima categoría del automovilismo con regreso pactado al 2021.

Para suplir las fechas la F1 ha decidido incluir en el calendario tres circuitos que tenía tiempo no visitaba la máxima categoría, se trata de la pista de Nürburgring en Alemania, el circuito Portimao de Portugal y el trazado Imol de Italia por lo que se eleva el número a 13 fechas para la actual temporada.

La Fórmula 1 volverá a Portugal por primera vez desde 1996, el mítico circuito de Nürburgring lo hará tras ausentarse siete años pues su última carrera de F1 se corrió en 2013 y en Imola lo hará por vez primera desde 2006.

“Los detalles finales del calendario se darán a conocer en las próximas semanas, pero debido a la actual pandemia de Covid-19, a las restricciones locales y a la importancia de mantener seguras las comunidades y el personal, la Fórmula 1 ha confirmado que no será posible correr en Brasil, EE.UU., México y Canadá esta temporada”, agregan los organizadores.

La Fórmula 1 planea entre 15 y 18 carreras para la temporada 2020, ya se corrieron tres fechas y le siguen dos consecutivas en el Circuito de Silverstone en Inglaterra, y ya están en calendario el GP de España, de Bélgica, los circuitos italianos de Monza y Mugello y el GP de Rusia en Sochi el 27 de septiembre.

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Lewis Hamilton calls out F1, teams for lack of commitment to anti-racism

“I don’t think it’s being taken seriously,” six-time F1 world champ Lewis Hamilton said about fighting racism.

Lewis Hamilton won Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday for his second consecutive victory. But that’s not what he wanted to focus on afterward.

The Mercedes driver called out F1, its teams and its drivers for not taking the anti-racism fight seriously and for the lack of leadership, which he noted was on display as drivers looked disorganized before Sunday’s race in their attempt to unite for a pre-race gesture.

When F1 returned to the track earlier this month before the Austrian Grand Prix, the series’ 20 drivers stood or kneeled together in front of the words “End Racism” written on the grid. Most wore “End Racism” t-shirts, while Hamilton’s read: “Black Lives Matter.”

Since the season’s delayed start, drivers are three-for-three in pre-race statements against racism. But, as the BBC noted, on Sunday before the Hungarian GP, “a number of drivers were late, and the protest had to break up quickly when the national anthem began playing.”

And the 35-year-old, six-time F1 world champ said both the pre-race and behind-the-scenes efforts are lacking.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain takes the knee beside the drivers prior the the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix race at the Hungaroring racetrack in Mogyorod, Hungary, Sunday, July 19, 2020. (Mark Thompson/Pool via AP)

From The Guardian:

“There definitely is not enough support for it,” he said of the pre-race anti-racism gesture. “Many drivers seem to be of the opinion that they have done it once and are not going to do it again. It’s almost like it has gone off the agenda. It’s lacking leadership. There needs to be leadership from the top.”

Hamilton — who has repeatedly called out F1 and the people associated with it for not stepping up — also said he will reach out to F1 leaders this week to address the issue “because no one else is going to do it.” He also took issue with the lack of progress being made beyond heightened awareness of how pervasive racism is.

F1 announced in June an initiave to combat racism and address the lack of diversity in racing, as did Mercedes. But Hamilton, who’s establishing his own commission, called out teams for not doing more beyond the pre-race gestures.

More from Hamilton on Sunday, via the BBC:

“…I don’t think it’s being taken seriously. There are perhaps people who have not grown up around it so don’t understand it and because of that ‘it doesn’t affect me’.

“I have heard those comments: ‘It doesn’t do anything for me so why should I do it?’

“But it’s not about ‘me’ and it’s not about ‘you’; it’s about this fight that the world, people out there who are experiencing discrimination. That’s what we’re fighting for. We’re fighting for change in organisations.

“But there are a few drivers who are in touch with me and are like: ‘Hey, I want to be a part of this, what can I do?’

“It’s fantastic and my dream is that by the end of the year we all know and understand things better and we all stand united and the whole of F1 is on top of it.”

A few hours after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton expanded on his concerns on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Today I raced for everyone out there who is pushing to make positive change and fight inequality, however, sadly, as a sport we need to do so much more. It is embarrassing that many teams have not made any public commitment to diversity or that we couldn’t properly find time to make a symbolic gesture in support of ending racism before the race. Today felt rushed and massively lacked organisation and effort, which in turn dilutes the message and makes it seem like there was something more important. It doesn’t matter if you stand or kneel, but we should be showing the world that F1 is united in its commitment to equality and inclusivity. F1 and the FIA need to do more. There is no quick fix for racial inequality, but it is certainly something that we can’t just acknowledge once and then move on. We have to stay focussed, keep highlighting the problem and hold those with the power accountable. #BlackLivesMatter #EndRacism

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on

In his caption, he wrote:

Today I raced for everyone out there who is pushing to make positive change and fight inequality, however, sadly, as a sport we need to do so much more. It is embarrassing that many teams have not made any public commitment to diversity or that we couldn’t properly find time to make a symbolic gesture in support of ending racism before the race. Today felt rushed and massively lacked organisation and effort, which in turn dilutes the message and makes it seem like there was something more important. It doesn’t matter if you stand or kneel, but we should be showing the world that F1 is united in its commitment to equality and inclusivity. F1 and the FIA need to do more. There is no quick fix for racial inequality, but it is certainly something that we can’t just acknowledge once and then move on. We have to stay focussed, keep highlighting the problem and hold those with the power accountable.

#BlackLivesMatter #EndRacism

Three races into the restructured 2020 F1 season, Hamilton is at the top of the driver standings, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen.

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